Chaos Teams are comprised of the worshippers of the four major Chaos deities of the Warhammer setting - Khorne (War), Nurgle (Decay, Plague), Slaanesh (Lust, Beauty), and Tzeentch (Change). Some have been dedicated to the fifth, "orphaned" Chaos god, Malal, though these references no longer appear in official fluff.
Although previous versions of Blood Bowl attempted to create separate teams for the different Chaos deities, most of the god-specific abilities and rules have been done away with in return to a basic Chaos based team concept. The notable exception to this is the Nurgle team, which is dedicated to the Father of Plagues alone.
Although the Blood Bowl rules rate the Chaos roster as an Advanced Team, they are among the most popular teams in the game today, with statistics from most major Leagues and Tournaments suggesting that they win a lion's share of the major Blood Bowl events held throughout the world. In fact, some sites rate them as the statistically most effective team in the game, and polls taken of Blood Bowl players consistently rate them at or near the top of the 10 most respected Blood Bowl rosters.
Although the Chaos team has undergone some changes since it first appeared, it remains a potent tool in the right hands.
Players Available
0-16 Beastmen
0-4 Chaos Warriors
0-1 Minotaurs
The Star Players Max Spleenripper, Lewdgrip Whiparm,Brick Far'th & Grotty, Lord Borak the Despoiler, Grashnak Blackhoof, and Morg 'n' Thorg are all available for inducement by a Chaos team. As a testament to the popularity of the Chaos team, many of these names are among the oldest Star Players in Blood Bowl lore, some going back to first edition.
Play Style and Tactics
The Chaos team is the quentessential Bashy Team. Fluff has jokingly suggested that Chaos teams concentrate on hurting their opponents first and moving the ball later. "What Ball?" seems to be the favored approach of characterful Chaos teams. However, scoring is the key to winning a game of Blood Bowl; one does not win a game by inflicting injuries alone. As such, the skilled Chaos player maximizes his Bashy potential while not forgetting to move the ball and take opportunities to score as they come. A properly developed Chaos team can compete equally with all styles of play on the opposite side of the pitch. Oftentimes, a new player to Blood Bowl will concentrate upon bashing his opponents with a Chaos team, only to learn that he has managed to achieve very little in terms of actually winning the game; this is the reason that many sources, including Jervis Johnson himself, still rate Chaos as an Advanced Team.
Famous Chaos Teams
There is little arguing that the most famous Chaos team is theChaos All-Stars. Ironically, the New Teams for Bloodbowl Document has stated that the All-Stars were originally a Chaos Pact style team, though the most recent boxed sets would seem to indicate that somewhere along the line they became a more standard Chaos team.
Miniatures
Games Workshop produces an official Chaos team as part of its Blood Bowl range. This may be acquired through direct order. Many Chaos miniatures have been produced for Blood Bowl since 1988, and this makes Chaos one of the most diverse possible subjects for individuals wishing to collect out of print Blood Bowl miniatures.
The concept of Chaos in a Fantasy setting is not unique to Games Workshop, predating the company by several years. As might be expected due to this, and the popularity of Chaos teams in general, most sources for Alternative Miniatures produce one form or another of appropriate miniatures for a Chaos roster in Blood Bowl. These range from the standard (warriors in thick plate) to the utterly bizzare (anthropomorphic farm animals).